The invention relates to an endoscope having a handle as well as a probe part that can be connected thereto, with at least one light emitting diode as well as a video system having an image receiver arranged in the handle, with a carrier element comprising a heat conducting material being provided for the at least one light emitting diode inside the handle directly connected to the light emitting diode, and with the carrier element being in a thermal contact to housing parts and/or installation parts of the handle and the probe part, if applicable.
An endoscope is known from US 2002/0120181 A1, which is provided with an illumination system inside its handle that can be connected to a probe part. In the handle of endoscopes of prior art, perhaps having an optic lens arrangement or a video system with an image receiver, several LED-light emitting diodes are provided for this purpose, with their light beams being deflected via corresponding prisms to a light conductor, which leads to the distal end of the endoscope. However, the deflection of the light beams emitted by the light emitting diodes via the prisms requires a considerable amount of space inside the handle and additionally this deflection is connected to a loss of luminous power which may only be negligible when several light emitting diodes are used. The use of several light emitting diodes is disadvantageous, though, in that this may result in a corresponding increase in heat developing inside the handle.
In such endoscopes, only electric feed lines for the illumination system and the video system are necessary, so that the handling of the endoscope is facilitated even in very small designs and thus is practically not interfered with by the feed lines.
In an illumination source integrated in the handle it is problematic that a comparatively high localized heat develops, which heats the handle, causing the manual holding to be potentially compromised. Additionally, the installation parts of the handle, particularly the camera with the image receiver and additional electronic components, as well as the lens unit with the adhesives in the optic device are subject to high thermal load, here.
When using a high-performance light emitting diode, LED for short, a temperature develops immediately at the LED-chip which is not permissible in medical devices, particularly endoscopes.
Therefore, an endoscope of the type noted at the outset is provided, which has a handle as well as a probe part that can be connected thereto (cf. EP 1 875 853 A1). In the handle of the known endoscope an illumination system with a light emitting diode is integrated in addition to a video system with an image receiver. Here, the light emitting diode is placed at a penetrating opening which is arranged in a cylindrical carrier element comprising a heat conducting material. This carrier element is held inside the handle at semi-cylindrical frame parts connected to each other in the longitudinal direction, which are also produced from heat-conducting material and are mounted at the interior perimeter of the handle.
A comparable endoscope is also known from EP 1 880 660 A1. The latter publications relate to patent publications with earlier filing dates but later publication dates.